The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Devineni takes exception to Goud's threat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 04, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Devineni takes exception to Goud's threat

By Our Staff Reporter

VIJAYAWADA, JAN. 3. The Kankipadu legislator and former Minister, Devineni Nehru, on Monday took strong exception to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader and former Home Minister, Devender Goud's threat to stop the construction of the Dummagudem irrigation project on the ground that it would affect the interests of the Telangana farmers.

Questions motive

Mr. Nehru accused the TDP leaders of indulging in opportunism and whipping up regional sentiments even while the party swore by a united State. Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Nehru said that TDP leaders from Telangana like Mr. Goud, Kadiam Srihari and Mandava Venkateswara Rao, had no guts to take up the issue of their region while being in the Chandrababu Naidu Cabinet, but were now crying hoarse about the so-called injustice.

"When the TDP was in power these same leaders never raised their voice and remained passive spectators," he remarked. But now, when the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, had demonstrated his sincerity by planning to take up various irrigation projects, the TDP leaders were seeking to instigate the farmers by raising regional sentiments, he alleged.

Mr. Nehru charged the TDP president, Chandrababu Naidu, also with making conflicting statements on the irrigation projects to suit his political interests. Defending the Dummagudem project, Mr. Nehru said the project would not only benefit the farmers of Krishna and Guntur districts, but several thousands of acres of land in the upland areas of Nalgonda, Khammam and Mahaboobnagar would get irrigation facilities from the project.

TRS Minister flayed

He accused the TDP Government of failing to spend even a single rupee for the irrigation projects during its nine-year-old regime, though the party made several lofty promises with regard to Devadula, Pulichintala, Polavaram and various other projects.

Mr. Nehru also criticised the Technical Education Minister, Nayani Narasimha Reddy, for dubbing officials from the coastal region as "thieves" and also for allegedly making critical statements against the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. He said if Mr. Reddy has any problems they should be discussed at the Cabinet meetings, instead of making statements against the Government openly.

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